Spartan DFS Trike
{{Short description|American ultralight airplane}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=DFS Trike | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight trike and powered parachute | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Spartan Microlights | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=In production | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Spartan DFS Trike is an American ultralight aircraft designed and produced by Spartan Microlights. The aircraft was the first ultralight introduced that could be flown with a hang glider-style wing as an ultralight trike or with a powered parachute wing.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page C-27. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 111. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XDowney, Julia: 2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 54. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
The designation of DFS stands for Dual Face System, referring to its ability to mount either hang glider or powered parachute wings.
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of {{convert|254|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of {{convert|212|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} with a Daedalus 190 hang glider wing. It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. In powered parachute mode it uses a Shuttle GRX canopy and is controlled with aerodynamic brakes.
The aircraft fuselage is made from aluminum tubing, while the hang glider wing is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing and covered in Dacron sailcloth. The hang glider wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. A fiberglass cockpit fairing, windshield, brakes and floats are optional. The original engine supplied was the Rotax 277 single cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled aircraft engine of {{convert|28|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}, which is now out-of-production. Present engines available include the {{convert|28|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Zanzottera MZ 34, {{convert|28|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Hirth F-33 and the {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 447.
In 2012 the aircraft was marketed under the name DFS Single.{{Cite web|url = http://www.flyforfun.net/products.htm|title = Products|accessdate = 26 January 2012|last = Spartan Microlights|date = 1998|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120115024710/http://www.flyforfun.net/products.htm|archivedate = 15 January 2012}}
Specifications (DFS with hang glider wing)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=
|length in=
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=
|span in=
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=199
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=212
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=462
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|5|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 277
|eng1 type=single cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=28
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=34
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=900
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=
|sink rate ftmin=
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.flyforfun.net/products.htm}}
{{Spartan Microlights aircraft}}
Category:1990s United States ultralight aircraft